The Tale Of Uzumaki Naruto
by SunlitSky21
Summary: A wise man had once said," The true measure of a shinobi is not how he lives but how he dies. It's not what they do in life, but what they did before dying that proves their worth." In The Fourth Shinobi war many sacrifices were made. However, what if it had taken one more sacrifice?


Just a quick update: I posted the companion fic to this story. It is titled 'See You Again.'

 **The tale of Uzumaki Naruto**

 **Disclaimer-Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**

It is said that nothing comes without a price. For anything that you are given, you too must give something back in return. Naruto knew this. However, he had never thought that the same would be applicable for him, in such a manner.

When the six paths geezer had offered to give him the yang chakra he had known that it would just not be free. Yang is the aspect of light, vitality and more than that, life. So, when the Rikkodu Sennin told him, he was not surprised.

He also knew that the teme too had to sacrifice something in return.

 _"Equal till the bitter end, huh?"_ he bemusedly pondered.

It was a harsh and tough battle. Beating Kaguya and then knocking some sense into that thick headed skull of his friend had been draining and tiring from both a physical and chakra viewpoint but for someone like Naruto, who was no stranger to pain, these things dd not matter. The sorrow, the pain, these are the things that hurt the most. But he persevered and pushed through it. His goodbye to his dad was still sad but it no longer had the effect that he thought it would have as he knew, he would be meeting him and _them_ shortly afterwards.

It was the early hours of the morning, when there is but a faint glimmer of brilliance and warmth on the horizon and every living thing waits for the rays of the sun, when _it_ occurred.

He had been holding on through sheer will power alone but even that had its limits. And soon enough, just as the infinite tsukuyomi had ended and everyone had woken up and gathered around them, his legs gave out and he collapsed.

All of them were shocked except for Sasuke." Huh, I guess he knew after all. "He thought.

Sakura and Tsunade-baa chan tried to heal him but he stopped them and, smiling, said, "Don't. Ain't gonna need it"

At this point, he expected a reaction of something like Old lady Tsunade reprimanding him and continuing to heal him or even Sakura trying to hit him for saying things like that, but they both did not. There was a certain somberness in their eyes as if they could almost see The Death God standing behind him, both having seen death and being involved in it intimately many times before.

Nobody spoke a word. It was as if the entire world had gone silent. It was Naruto who ultimately broke it. He laughed and said, "Why are you guys getting all sad and mopey? There is no need for that."

Several of them opened their mouths to say something but he simply quieted them by saying," Please, I don't really want my last memory to be a sad one."

 _I am gonna miss these guys._

At this point, Sasuke, that bastard, who had remained quiet, snorted and said,"Well, get on with it. There must be something you want to say, don't you, Naruto?"

Grateful to his best friend for helping him out, even at this moment, smirking, the Blonde replied, "Took the words right out of my mouth."

He then turned his face and looked around, and saw everyone standing there with their gazes full of sorrow, respect and love .

And it was at that moment, that Naruto had never felt more acknowledged in his life.

He started speaking,

"Thank you ,everyone. For acknowledging me. For being friends and comrades. I did not defeat Madara alone, _we_ defeated him, together. My greatest wish for you guys is that from now on, you all get along. No more hatred. No more wars. My mentor's dream, which was passed on to me, I now pass it on to you. He had hoped that one day people would come to truly understand each other. I believe that that day will come. Maybe it is today, or tomorrow? Who knows ?Break the cycle of hatred and help each other in building true peace'ttebayo. Make our world a better place to live in."

Turning to the old hag, he said, "I will say hi to the pervert for you, okay, baachan? Also, Baa-chan, _Thank you_. Ya know, if I ever had grandparents, I would have wanted them to be just like you." He finished with a bright grin.

He chuckled on seeing her, trying to wipe her tears, and hearing her say,"Brat. I'm not that old."

 _See ya soon, Ero-sennin. I have got a hell of a story to tell you._

Looking at the Ino-shika-cho team, He said,"Choji, It was awesome having those eating competitions. Let's do that again sometime again, shall we? Shikamaru, don't be a lazy ass and try to get some actual work done. Ino, don't be too harsh on these two, okay? Don't worry, I will tell Asuma-sensei about all your awesome new jutsus and kickass combat tactics'ttebayo!"

On hearing this, Ino, and Choji burst into tears, while nodding continuously.

Shikamaru just smiled sadly. Once the war was over, he had been planning to talk to Naruto about being his advisor when He became Hokage. But now it seemed that it would never happen.

 _Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Goodbye. Thanks for everything until now._

Naruto simply fist bumped Bee. No words were needed. They both understood each other perfectly.

"Good luck, Naruto." was all that Bee had said with their mental link.

 _Good luck, Bee._

Gazing at Kurama and the other bijuu, Naruto smiled and fist bumped Kurama. The half which was inside Naruto had returned to the Kyuubi, probably by the six paths geezer, so, he was bigger than before.

Naruto said, "I am gonna miss you, partner. Even though our partnership was for a short while, It felt as if we had been the best of friends from the very beginning. Don't let hatred consume you once again, Kurama. There are many good people too, and not only just bad people, always remember that."

After that, He turned to the other bijuus and said, "Everyone, thank you for sharing your chakra with me. For believing in me. For simply being there for me. I don't know what the old sage had said about some prophecy but I know this: Shukaku, Matatabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei ,Gyuuki and Kurama ,all of you are my precious people and my friends."

All the bijuus looked sad. For them it was like watching their father die all over again. But no one was sadder than Kurama. For him, Naruto was the one who pulled him out of his hatred and allowed him to feel hope again. The bijuu knew that they would never meet someone like Naruto, ever again. To them, he was their most precious comrade and friend.

 _Thanks, You bastard fox. You are alright, ya know?_

Turning to the kages of the other hidden villages, he said,"Gaara, I guess I can't become hokage now. So, do your best for the both of us, got it? I am sure you will do a great job'ttebayo."

 _You don't have to prove your existence anymore, don't you, Gaara?_

"Raikage-jiichan, Ohnoki-jiji, Mei-baachan (the mizukage's eyebrow twitched at being called that), you all make sure to get along, alright?"

At this simple and ridiculous statement, the kages could only shake their heads and sigh, while smiling fondly .They all respected Naruto, one even more than the others .This kid had touched and changed the lives of many people including theirs.

 _Minato, your brat, he surpassed you long ago. Not in prowess, but in heart._

 _How childish I was. Was there really any need to hate you so, Yellow Flash. If your son turned out like this, then perhaps, there is no need for old fossils like us._

 _Goodbye, Naruto-kun. I never got to tell you, didn't I? The legacy of the Whirlpool, it will live on forever, thanks to you._

 _Naruto, I hope that where you go now has really good ramen._

Turning to team 10, more specifically a certain someone, Naruto said,"Hinata, I am really sorry. Sorry that I could not recognize your feelings earlier. Sorry that I couldn't support you as you always did for me. But now I know. Please forgive me. And please, move on. Don't grieve after I die. You deserve someone much, much better than me. Thank you for loving me. And for what it's worth, I want to say, I love you too. Sorta late, aren't I?"

 _Always and Forever, Hinata._

 _The caged bird flew to the heavens._

 _Will I meet you there, Neji?_

After saying this, He looked at Kiba and Shino and said with a steely voice," Look after her for me, will you? She really doesn't need it but even then, I entrust that responsibility to you."

Hinata was shedding silent tears. But even then, her smile did not waver." There is nothing for you to apologize, Naruto-kun. I love you. I always have and always will. Nothing will ever change that. But I will move on and continue to live. You taught me that. Our nindo, remember? Besides, you aren't really going anywhere. Your life, Neji-niisan's, mine and all of the others' is connected by the bonds we share. So, this is not goodbye. This is' see you again'."

 _Always and Forever, Naruto-kun._

 _I have found someone like you, Kaa-chan._

Turning to Team 7,Naruto looked at the silver-haired, masked jonin and said,"Kakashi-sensei, Thank you for teaching me. Your lessons saved my life many times. Also, thank you for believing in me. Don't worry, I have a lot to tell Obito and Rin about you."

Kakashi weakly chuckled at this. For Kakashi, his favorite student had never been Sasuke or Sakura. It had been Naruto, all along. Before, Kakashi could never escape from the ghosts of his past, and then, Naruto came along. He allowed Kakashi to heal, to let go and to forgive himself for the deaths of Rin and Obito. And now seeing him die, it felt as if he was watching his sensei die all over again.

And the memory of a brightly smiling, twelve year old Naruto came at the forefront of his mind. The Naruto in the memory, along with Sasuke and Sakura, seemed to be waving at him from the top of a hill and telling him to hurry up. And then, without waiting for the rest of them, the golden haired boy in the memory jumped in the air and ran forward, vanishing from sight.

 _Thanks, Naruto. Sensei, Your son, he's just like you. Even in death, you are still teaching me new things, aren't you, you brilliant man?_

 _Thanks, Kakashi-sensei._

Gazing at Sakura, who was crying, he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could say anything Sakura cut him off," Naruto ,I..I...I am sorry! Sorry that I never responded to your love. Sorry that I treated you horribly. Sorry that you always had to save me ."

Before she could say anything further , Naruto quieted her by placing a finger on her lips. He smiled slightly and said, "It's okay, Sakura. I was never mad about it. Besides, I really don't see you in that way anymore, so its fine'tebayo. Sakura, thank you for everything! Thank you for healing me so many times that I lost count. Thank you for knocking sense into me when I was being stupid. I am really happy right now. You wanna know why?"

On seeing her nod, he said," Because I fulfilled my promise of a lifetime to you. I brought the bastard back, didn't I? So, stop crying."

Letting out a choked laugh, Sakura said, " It is kinda funny, you know? All these days in team 7, I always tried to catch up to you and Sasuke-kun so that I could stand with you. But now, you are going so,so far away, Naruto. Sorry, this time I can't be there and heal you if you try something stupid again. So, look after yourself, 'kay?"

Sakura finally let out a smile.

 _Good-bye, Sakura-chan_

Finally, he looked at Sasuke.

He said,"Hey, Sasuke, I finally convinced you to come home. So don't go running away again now, okay? There is much more to life than revenge. Stay this time and live and atone for your sins. Also, don't worry about the hatred any more, because I am taking it with me. I told you that before, didn't I? When we were battling under that bridge? And one more thing, Sasuke. I wanted to apologize to you for not speaking to you on that day when you were sitting alone. I could feel your pain and loneliness and yet I didn't speak to you because I was jealous. So, I am sorry, Sasuke."

However, Sasuke just snorted and said, "Still an idiot, Naruto? If anyone should be apologizing, it should be me, for all the things that I have done. It was I who was jealous of you. You were just like Itachi, wallking with me and in front of me and now, I have lost both of you."

At this point, his stoic mask cracked a little and a single tear dripped down his face."So,thank you, Naruto. For bringing me back. I will never forget you."

 _Until we meet again, Naruto._

Naruto was shocked for a moment but then he teasingly said, "Don't go all sappy and mushy on me now, bastard."

But, anyone could see that Naruto was touched by what Sasuke had said and was trying very hard not to cry.

 _I will be waiting. But try not to come too soon, Sasuke._

Naruto knew that it was time for him to go. So, smiling brightly, with his last breath, he said, "Everyone, Thank you. Thank you for everything." At that point his voice wavered but even then he continued, still smiling, "I really wanted to spend more time with you, y'know? To talk with you more, to laugh with you more, and so, so much more. But I am really happy that I got to meet you all. So, even though it was short, It has been a great journey. I'll be off then. Goodbye."

 _I am gonna be seeing you very soon, guys. Wait for me up there, will ya?_

And so died, Uzumaki Naruto, the chosen one of the prophecy, the son of the fourth hokage, the savior of the shinobi world but most of all, a precious and dear comrade and friend, with a peaceful smile on his face, which was illuminated by the light of the new born day.

And that day was engraved for eternity in the history of shinobi. It was a day of celebration and sorrow, celebration that the war had ended and peace had been finally obtained, but sorrow due to the sacrifice that was required to achieve that peace.

Celebration of the day that a hero was born, destined for greatness, through sacrifice, and sorrow of the day that a hero died, out of sacrifice.

 _Once upon a time, there was a fox spirit with nine tails. A boy had the fox sealed inside him and the two spent a long time together. A new calamity, the juubi was revived. But the boy became a shinobi and together with the fox spirit and the other shinobi, they became one and succeeded in sealing it. This victory, however, came at a cost. The cost of it was the boy's life._

 _This is the tale of that boy._

 _A tale which continues on beyond death, a grand journey, for death is the next great adventure._

 _A tale of sacrifice, courage and bonds._

 _"The tale of Uzumaki Naruto."_

 **Please review.I appreciate constructive criticism.**

 **This was bouncing around in my mind for quite a while,so I decided to write it down.**

 **What do you think? Was it too melodramatic?**

 **This is SunlitSky21, signing out.**

 **P.S- For those of you wondering, I edited this fic and hopefully, it is much better than the sorry excuse that it was before.**

 **P.P.S- I have posted the companion fic to this. Check it out. It is titled 'See you Again'.**


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